Case for storing articles



Sept. 22, 1910 s. o. BLOWERS 3,529,878

CASE FOR STORING ARTICLES I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1968 Sept. 221970 s. o. BLOWERS CASE FOR STORING ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Maya. 71968 V b z f mw a 7 a w 1 Z w W I 5w p [/7 1 M 9 5 o; L v 1 1 I 1 I,1 W

United States Patent O 3,529,878 CASE FOR STORING ARTICLES Stanley OwenBlowers, Cambridge, England, assignor to Kerridge Joinery Limited,London, England, a British company Filed May 6, 1968, Ser. No. 726,654Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 1, 1967, 54,692/ 67Int. Cl. A47b 47/00, 87/02 US. Cl. 312-107 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE The invention relates to a storage unit comprising at leasttwo drawer cases stacked one above the other and having upper and lowerwalls provided with sockets. The sockets are designed to receivelocating pins by which the sockets in the lower wall of the upper caseare registered with corresponding sockets in the upper wall of the lowercase. Each socket is by one end firmly anchored in said wall andprotrudes inwardly into the case, the said end being provided with ahead containing a counterbore of larger diameter than the inner hole ofthe socket. Each pin connecting an upper and lower case has a headadapted to be received in the counterbore and two tapered shanksextending in opposite directions from the head, each projecting into oneof the adjacent sockets.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION This invention relates to a store-case in theform of a chest of drawers and comprises a novel unit construction whichenables a unit of required size to be built up from a number of similarunits.

According to the invention each unit consists of a drawer-case havingupper and lower walls in which there are sockets designed to receivelocating pins by which the sockets in the lower wall of one drawer caseare registered with corresponding sockets in the upper wall of anunderlying case when the cases are stacked. This enables a rigid chestto be built of a number of superposed units.

In one embodiment of the invention, each drawer case or sleeve containsa single slidable tray or drawer made of plastic material designed toslide on runners provided for it within the drawer case. Each drawercase has upper and lower walls, side walls and a rear wall made of wood,plastic or other material. Each wall may be solid or may consist of anopen framework.

In addition to the runners for supporting the drawer the sleeve isformed with internal guide rails which engage the side of the drawer andguide it in its sliding movement. These guide rails are spaced away fromthe side walls of the sleeve sufliciently to leave room for four tubularsockets formed on the upper wall of the sleeve adjacent the four cornersthereof and four similar sockets formed on the lower wall of the sleeve.These sockets are in the form of open-ended tubes formed integrally withthe sleeve and projecting inwardly from the upper and lower walls of thesleeve.

Each socket consists of a tubular body which is preferably tapered andjoined to the wall of the sleeve by a relatively large head containing acounterbore in communication with the hole through the tubular body. Itis thus adapted to receive one half of a locating pin which has twotapered shanks projecting in opposite directions from a head so madethat one half of the head is received into the counterbore.

The locating pins are used to hold superposed sleeves in mutualalignment by inserting pins in the sockets in the upper wall of onesleeve and then lowering a superposed sleeve into position so that theupper halves of the pins 3,529,878 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 are receivedinto sockets in the lower wall of the superposed sleeve.

To fill the sockets in the upper wall of the uppermost sleeve so as toproduce a flush top, special pins may be provided having only onetapered shank joined to a head constructed to fit into the countersideflush with the top. Further pins having only one tapered shank but withdeeper heads may be provided for fitting into sockets in the lower wallof the lowermost sleeve so as to form feet therefor.

The locating pins may conveniently be moulded from a plastic material.

So that the invention will be better understood a typical example inaccordance with it will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of storage cabinet embodying storage unitsaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail of a storage unit according to the invention, and

FIG. 4 is another detail.

Referring to the drawings FIG. 1 shows a storage cabinet comprisingthree separate units 1 standing on a base 2 and having a top cover 3.Each unit 1 is in the form of a slidable drawer 4 in a sleeve 5 thesleeve having upper, lower and side walls 6, 7, and 8, respectively.

The drawer 4 is designed to slide on runners 9 provided on the inside oflower wall 7. In addition the sleeve is formed with internal guide rails10 which depend from the upper wall 6 and which engage the side of thedrawer and guide it in its sliding movement. These guide rails arespaced from the side walls 8 sufficiently to leave room for four tubularsockets 12 depending from the upper wall 6 adjacent the four cornersthereof and four similar sockets 13 upstanding from the lower wall 7.The sockets are in the form of open-ended tubes preferably formedintegrally with the sleeve.

Each socket consists of a tubular body 16 which is tapered and has ahead 17 adjacent the sleeve wall, which head has a counterbore 18 incommunication with the base of the tubular body.

For stacking one unit upon another a locating pin 20 (FIG. 3) isemployed which engages in the sockets. Each locating pin has a centralhead 21 and tapering shanks 22 projecting in opposite directionstherefrom. The head 21 is so designed that when a tapering shank 22 isengaged in a socket one half of the head is received in the counterbore18, the other half being engaged in the corresponding counterbore of asocket in an adjacent sleeve.

Thus the locating pins are used to hold superposed sleeves in mutualalignment by inserting pins 20 in the upper wall of one sleeve and thenlowering a superposed sleeve into position so that the upper halves ofthe pins are received into the sockets in the lower wall of thesuperposed sleeve.

To fill the sockets in the upper wall of the uppermost sleeve so as toproduce a flush top, special pins 24 (FIG. 4) may be provided havingonly one tapered shank 22 joined to a head 25 constructed to fit intothe counterbore flush with the top. Further pins similar to pins 24having only one tapered shank but with deeper heads may be provided forfitting into sockets in the lower wall of the lowermost sleeve so as toform feet therefor.

The sleeve together with its runners 9 guide rails 10 and sockets 12 canconveniently be moulded as an integral unit from a synthetic plasticmaterial. Similarly the pins can also be moulded from plastic materials.

What I claim is:

1. A storage unit comprising at least two drawercases, each case havingupper and lower walls; open ended tubular sockets in said walls designedto receive freely insertable locating pins by which the sockets in thelower wall of one drawer-case are registered with corresponding socketsin the upper wall of an underlying drawer-case when the cases arestacked; each socket having a first end provided with a head and securedin one of the said walls, the second end projecting inwardly from saidwall, a counterbore in the head in communication with the base of thesocket; each of said pins having a head of a thickness such that any onehalf of the head is received in said counterbore, and having two taperedshanks extending in opposite directions from the head and adapted to bereceived in the hole in the socket beyond the counterbore; the portionsof the sockets in each drawer-case which receive said shanks beinginternally tapered.

2. A storage unit comprising at least two drawer-cases, each case havingupper and lower walls; open ended tubular sockets in said walls designedto receive freely insertable locating pins by which the sockets in thelower wall of one drawer-case are registered With corresponding socketsin the upper wall of an underlying drawercase when the cases ae stacked;each socket having a first end provided with a head and secured in oneof the said walls, the second end projecting inwardly from said wall, acounterbore in the head in communication with the base of the socket;each of said pins having a head of a thickness such that any one half ofthe head is received in said counterbore, and having two tapered shanksextending in opposite directions from the head and adapted to bereceived in the hole in the socket beyond the counterbore; the socketsin the upper wall of the uppermost drawer-case and in the lower wall ofthe lowermost drawer-case each containing a pin having a head adapted tofit into the counterbore and a tapered shank protruding from the headand received in the hole in the socket beyond the counterbore.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,316,952 4/1943 Halferty 1821782,988,411 6/1961 Vannice 312111 3,000,680 9/1961 Zelenko 312-1113,012,762 12/1961 Norris 312107 X 3,275,392 9/1966 Fiterman 312-111 X3,302,749 2/ 1967 Heaphy et al. 182-178 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R. 312-111

